


Where the Heart Is

by SpicyRedPaladin



Series: Push Me to the Edge [4]
Category: The Walking Dead (TV)
Genre: Gen, Sanctuary, Snow, Thoughtful Negan
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-15
Updated: 2017-07-15
Packaged: 2018-12-02 08:15:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 779
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11505327
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SpicyRedPaladin/pseuds/SpicyRedPaladin
Summary: Negan watched the boy sleeping in his bed quietly. He couldn't help but enjoy the sight; after all, he'd coveted the teen ever since he first laid eyes on him. Admired the fire in his soul and his fierce disposition. In some ways, Carl reminded the man of himself when he was that age. Rebellious and zealous to the things and the people his parents hated most.





	Where the Heart Is

Negan watched the boy sleeping in his bed quietly. He couldn't help but enjoy the sight; after all, he'd coveted the teen ever since he first laid eyes on him. Admired the fire in his soul and his fierce disposition. In some ways, Carl reminded the man of himself when he was that age. Rebellious and zealous to the things and the people his parents hated most.

  
He took a deep breath and stood, treading silently to the window. He watched as snow slowly began to fall. It was early this year. That, or the heat had lasted longer. Negan had lost count of the days within the first few weeks after the walkers had started taking over. Things like that didn’t matter anymore. He lost count of how many of his students he had to kill quickly, as well. They were all stupid kids, really. Not like the one in his bed. Negan had been stupid back then as well. In his mind, there were so many things he could have done better.

  
The man turned to look at Carl again. His jacket was still wrapped tightly around the teen’s shoulders, and he had somehow burrowed into it so that the collar was up past the tip of his nose. Negan chuckled softly and strode over to the bed, sitting beside the boy so he could admire him more closely.

  
Carl rolled over onto his back, turning his head over and exposing his scars. The man was proud that they weren’t being covered anymore. He had to admit, the blemish was quite attractive. He’d never pegged himself for a disability fetishist, but hey. The apocalypse brought about more than a few shocking revelations.  
After a few minutes of silent contemplation, Negan reached up to touch his cheek, just below the scar. “Hey, time to wake up. C’mon.” Carl made a noise, but it was clear he was waking up. “Man, we got shit to do. I gotta show you around, dammit.”

  
The boy opened his eye a bit, peeking up at Negan through the thick curtain of his hair. “I guess..” He sat up, brushing his hair back into place with his fingers. “How long was I asleep? How long have we been here?”

  
The man chuckled a bit. “Couple hours to the first, maybe a half hour on the second. Shit, who knows.” He got up. “Come on. I gotta parade you around this place like a damn trophy.”

  
The thought made Carl smile. He got up, finding where Negan had put his shoes and putting them on. “Don’t parades have marching bands, though?” The question got him an admonishing look.

  
They left the room together and Negan locked the door. As they walked through the hallways, people stopped and watched silently. Carl didn’t know what the man had told his men about his, but they looked somewhere between afraid and envious. He felt a surge of confidence and straightened up as they walked, daring, even, to push his hair back and reveal the pit where his eye used to sit.

  
The first place they stopped was the shooting range. Negan lead him over to the mark, passing him a gun. "Let's see how shitty your aim is without that eye."  
Carl scoffed a bit, accepting the weapon before taking aim and firing. Of the six shots, only one hit the target, and even that one only dented the edge. Negan sighed. "Well, it ain't pure shit, I guess. But damn you need some work."

  
Carl glared at him a bit. "Well duh. I haven't had a gun to practice with since we met you."

  
The man smirked. "Didn't really need 'em though. Got that nice big wall."

  
The boy nodded. "The wall was nice, I guess. But honestly, I preferred roaming. Sitting around Alexandria was boring. There were no risks, no rush, no need for adrenaline. Boring."

  
Negan laughed at Carl's confession. "You know kid, sometimes boring isn't half bad. But I know what you mean." He lead the teen back inside, showing him the rest of the compound. Carl seemed mildly interested in a few of the sections, namely the armoury and 'infirmary'.

  
Finally, they went up to the roof. The air was colder up here, and a blanket of snow was beginning to build. The two stood near the edge, looking out over the landscape. From here, it was easy for Carl to feel like he and Negan were kings. He leaned against the ledge, watching the snow fall over the cold counryside. He felt an arm drape over his shoulders and let himself lean against the warm body beside him.

  
"Welcome home, Carl."

**Author's Note:**

> I'm sorry that one was kind of boring and short. There's going to be more fun parts coming.


End file.
